Staff Debate: Who should win the 2011 Tewaaraton?

We kicked the question to the Inside Lacrosse staff: Who should win the 2011 Tewaaraton?

The finalists are below:

Jeremy Boltus, Senior Attackman, United States Military Academy

John Galloway, Senior Goalie, Syracuse University

Rob Pannell, Junior Attackman, Cornell University

Steele Stanwick, Junior Attackman, University of Virginia

Joel White, Senior LSM, Syracuse University

The women's finalists are:

Grace Gavin, Senior Midfield/Attack, Loyola University

Emma Hamm, Junior Midfield/Attack, Duke University

Sarah Mollison, Senior Attack, University of Maryland

Katie Schwarzmann, Sophomore Midfield, University of Maryland

Shannon Smith, Junior Midfield/Attack, Northwestern University

Here's what the staff members had to say:

Danielle Bernstein

On the men’s side, I think it should be Steele Stanwick. While I understand he was shut down in the championship game, I don’t think Virginia would have even gotten that far without him. He completely took the team on his back in the first round against Bucknell and aside from Monday’s game, had one of the better tournament performances in recent memory.

For the women, I think Shannon Smith has it just about locked up. Prior to Sunday’s championship game, I would have gone with Maryland’s Sarah Mollison but Northwestern effectively face guarded her and took her completely out of the game. She didn’t even really have that many touches. Meanwhile, Smith not only outperforms Mollison, but against one of the top defenders in the nation, puts up four goals. The best player on the championship winning team who stepped up in the biggest moments, I think Smith wins it.

Geoff Shannon

Steele Stanwick, Virginia: To win the Tewaaraton, you should do well in the playoffs. It’s what distinguishes the award from other post-season accolades. Virginia’s offensive quarterback posted 21 points through the playoffs and stepped up as the vital component in three of Virginia’s four NCAA Tournament wins. And, as Virginia offensive coordinator Marc Van Arsdale told me after the championship game Monday, even though Stanwick only posted one point (1A), he was still vital in a field general capacity with the ball continuously working through him. He’s a first-team All-American, ACC Player of the Year and a vital component to the team’s 2011 run. Think it would only be appropriate if he finished the year as the Tewaaraton winner.

Shannon Smith, Northwestern: After last year’s hiccup, the Wildcats returned to the top of the heap with another championship. Smith was the offensive catalyst for this particular, posting 128 points on the year. She won Tournament MVP honors, scored the game-winner against North Carolina in the semifinals and dropped four goals against Maryland in the title game. It’s a no-brainer.

Zach Babo

Despite Virginia winning the NCAA Championship, and getting to that point largely on the back of a Steele Stanwick's absurd run through the tournament, I don't know if I am convinced he topped Rob Pannell for this award. Maybe it's because I look at a Tewaaraton Award as a Most Valuable Player award, and Virginia's success, particularly on Memorial Day weekend, was largely because they proved that no one player was that essential to the team, they had enough guys to get the job done regardless of who was called on. Also, from getting to hang around a little behind the scenes and hear some conversations with Bray Malphrus and John Haldy, I think those two are the real MVPs at Virginia. This group has been talented for years, it took those two finally getting everyone to bury their nonsense, maintain some discipline, and demand more from each other to finally win a title.

Whereas I don't think anyone can argue that Rob Pannell was the most valuable member of that Cornell team. Virginia might not have been quite as good without Stanwick, but they still would have been good, they have the players. While Cornell's talent often gets undervalued, as their quarterfinal game showed, Virginia's athletes are better than Cornell's, and that Big Red team is very different without Pannelll.

Either way, I'll be happy if either one wins.

John Jiloty

The Tewaaraton has typically been a season award. With Doug Shanahan being the only winner to not appear in the Final Four, that led me to believe it was Steele Stanwick’s to lose heading into championship weekend. BUT his quiet NCAA Final (one assist), and the fact that he had some other quiet games mid-season thanks to nagging injuries, means I’m not so sure Rob Pannell’s out of the picture. Pannell was great start to finish this year, but the knock on him will be that he didn’t make the Final Four. And even with Stanwick posting just one point Monday, he still finished the postseason with 21. Pannell’s 89-point season put him well ahead of anyone else in total points and points per game. Both have very strong cases, and a few holes as well. I’m going with Stanwick since late-season run taking over a retooled offense really got Virginia the title.